Irish Sport Horse Glenavadra Brilliant, ridden by Britain’s William Whitaker, won the 56th Hickstead Derby on Sunday last. This 13-year-old gelding by Brilliant Lad out of a Powerswood Purple dam was bred by Frank Fahy in Galway. He was the only one of 35 starters to clear all the fences and he took the Boomerang Trophy on just a single time fault.

Slotting into joint second on four faults was another Irish-bred, A Touch Imperious, ridden by Harriet Nuttall. This 12-year-old gelding is by Touchdown out of a Cavalier Royale dam and was bred by Leo Rice in Monaghan. Sharing joint second with Harriet were Billy Twomey on Daihilev and Richard Howley on Chinook.

Irish horses also shone in Saturday’s Speed Derby. Silver Lift by Easy Lift that Kay Blackwell bred in Westmeath won it ahead of third-placed Highland Cruiser by Couger that Patrick Cooke bred in Leitrim

Irish riders scooped a good share of the prizes at the four-day Derby meeting. Richard Howley got them off to a good start when winning Thursday’s Speed Derby qualifier on Verlindo. Billy Twomey followed on with a second in the Stone Vase on the Quidam de Revel gelding Thomas.

Then came David Simpson’s winning of Friday’s Derby Trial with the only double clear on Gotti Van Paemel. Shane Breen took third and fourth in that. Shane moved up a slot in that evening’s Masters. With Tango D’Ecry, he was runner-up to Guy Williams. The Irish dominated Saturday’s Tom Hudson Trophy with three of the four first round clears. Billy Twomey won it on Thomas while Anthony Condon took third and fourth.

Meanwhile, Wexford’s Bertram Allen (20) repeated his Austrian five-star success of seven days previous when winning last Friday’s €100,000 Priz Massimo Dutti with Molly Molone at the Global Champions Tour in Monte Carlo.

Going early in a 13-horse barrage, his time of 34.56 had the beating of a star field. La Baule Grand Prix winner Jerome Guery of Belgium slotted into second in 34.64. Both Bertram and Tipperary’s Denis Lynch went out in the second round of the big GCT Grand Prix on Saturday.

In Sunday’s Global Champions League, Bertram jumped a double clear with Izzy by Picobello as he and Eduardo Menezes scored a win for Valkenswaard United to go within three points of league leaders Monaco Aces.